I’m a former NBA first-round pick – I left the league in 2017 but will be receiving $2.8 million from the Portland Trail Blazers this year

ANDREW Nicholson is still on the Portland Trail Blazers payroll – despite being out of the league since 2017.

The 33-year-old, 6-foot-2 Canadian striker is owed $2.8 million this year.

2

2

In fact, Nicholson has pocketed that amount every year since 2017.

A year earlier, the former No. 19 overall pick hit free agency for the first time after averaging 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds over the previous four seasons for the Orlando Magic.

The ex-St. Bonaventure’s standout player signed a four-year, $26 million contract with the Washington Wizards.

But the Wizards traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in his first season with the team.

The move allowed Washington to acquire another sharpshooter in Bojan Bogdanovic, strengthening the squad in hopes of a strong playoff run.

But Nicholson also quickly broke away from the rebuilding Brooklyn and sent him to the Blazers in the following offseason in exchange for Allen Crabbe.

To save money, Portland traded Crabbe to get rid of his huge $75 million.

But they remained above the luxury tax threshold — and so they waived Nicholson and then stretched out the remaining $19.9 million of his contract to spread his salary over the next seven years.

This allowed the Blazers to save approximately $5.6 million in luxury taxes during the 2017-18 season.

On the other hand, they have been working with $2.84 million in dead money over the last seven years to pay off Nicholson’s contract, limiting their salary cap flexibility over that period.

This is the final year the Blazers will send a paycheck to the Ontario-born forward, who has been playing in South Korea since leaving Portland in China.

Nicholson made headlines in the US earlier this year thanks to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, who complained that Nicholson was drafted 16 picks ahead of him in the 2012 NBA draft Podcast P with Paul George.

“Honestly, it’s kind of unfortunate and I see it as insecurity on his part.” Nicholson replied.

“I didn’t know he was thinking about me for the last 11 years – I wasn’t thinking about you, I’ll be honest with you.”

And he added: “But the most unfortunate thing about it for me as an individual and as a person is that I see the guys in my draft class like Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard, the guys who are actually having success – Draymond was one.” Also of them, I was happy that he was successful.